Rage never dies
by Arawn D. Draven
Summary: In many universes, Jaune Arc is nothing more than a dorky knight. However, in THIS universe, a certain God of Mantra, deciding that his successor lacks patience, reincarnated him as our favorite blonde knight. How would things go when the weakest first year of Beacon starts remembering his former life, and getting his power back? Cinder is so screwed...


**Here is another crossover, one that just struck me once. I liked the idea of Jaune Arc, our Dorky Knight, getting a major boost and becoming THE badass of the RWBYverse.**

 **I'm not too sure of how well I did writing this, quite frankly I feel as if I could have done better, but I have no idea of where to start rewriting this thing so I'll just post it as is.**

 **So enjoy the latest product of my deranged mind!**

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 **I don't own RWBY or Asura's Wrath, only this plot.**

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 **Rage never dies**

Rage is perhaps the most powerful human emotion after love. In times of old, berserkers could continue to fight well beyond their limits thanks to their endless rage fueling their body, allowing them to casually disregard wounds that would have instantly killed normal people. Few could attain that level of anger naturally, most helping themselves attain a semi-similar state through the use of drugs that bent their perception of reality and mimicked the effect of rage, but the few who _could_ attain that level of all-encompassing anger were rightly feared, for _nothing_ , not even overwhelming force, would stop them from fighting. It was not rare to see them crawl on the ground even with their limbs removed or crushed, trying to get to their enemies to bite them, no matter how bloodied they themselves were.

If you asked anyone about Jaune Arc, they would tell you straight out that the teen _couldn't_ get angry, the _very_ few times he showed even a _glimpse_ of irritation being when his loved ones were mocked or threatened. And to be honest, he was hardly someone people would call threatening. While he might come from a family of renowned fighters, he himself was pretty much useless when it came to combat, in no small part due to the decision of his parents to prevent him from becoming a huntsman. Be it because they thought he lacked the skills necessary, or because they wanted to protect him, that meant that at seventeen, the blonde teenager hardly had any combat training, and a lifetime of being coddled and mothered by his parents and to seven sisters had left him with little self-confidence.

Still, even if he didn't have the necessary skills, Jaune was someone with a very strong set of morals, and he couldn't bear the idea of living a peaceful life when people were killed by Grimm. The nightmarish creatures had mankind in the ropes, forcing them to live in only four main locations, and countless small settlements on the world of Remnant, which meant that not a day would go on without someone being killed by the Grimm. And the small (at the time) child couldn't accept that, training or not.

Thus, his parents' decision to protect him by preventing him from acquiring the skills necessary to become a huntsman backfired quite spectacularly when Jaune stole Crocea Mors, the family's blade, and left for Beacon, the closest Combat Academy, with forged transcripts. Even if he didn't have the necessary skills, he had the drive, and figured that working himself to the bone would allow him to eventually reach the level of his peers.

What nobody knew, was that under the mask of the kind, weak Jaune, was another one, a Jaune who seethed with anger at being mocked, who hated being prevented from doing what was _right_ by his own family, someone whose rage would have honestly scared those who would push him over the edge and become its' target. But Jaune was very good at keeping the image of his affable self up, and thus nobody, not even his family, realized that each time a barb was sent his way, each time he was mocked, he became closer to snapping.

 **-Break-**

At Beacon, Jaune's rage simmered a bit. After all, he was doing what he wanted, and he had a nice team to support him. Of course, Cardin being the bully he was, came dangerously close to making the leader of team JNPR snap, but managed to avoid that, even if it was by accident and by mellowing down a little. Had he not done so, he would have found himself in quite the situation.

Then, the day of the Battle of Beacon came.

 **-Break-**

Jaune wasn't quite sure what had gotten into him when he had pushed Pyrrha inside the rocket locker and sent her to random coordinates into Vale, but he had a rather good idea. Given the way his partner- _strong, perfect, beautiful Pyrrha Nikos_ \- had looked, had _talked_ , he knew, even unconsciously, that she had been ready to do the same for him, to push him away in the hope of keeping him safe while she climbed the CCT tower to face the woman responsible for the current sorry state of Vale. And he refused to see her die for nothing. If that woman had managed so much, had managed to trick even Ozpin, then he highly doubted that a first year, no matter how powerful and experienced, could face her and live. Not to mention that there was a freaking _Grimm Dragon_ up there with her, which made what little odds they may have had to win, drop significantly.

Underneath his worried mask though, he was close to exploding, and as he ran towards the tower, he saw red. That _woman_ had caused innumerable deaths by allying with creatures that wanted nothing but human death, she had caused the single greatest catastrophe in the story of Vale, and worst of all, she had made his friends, had made _Ruby,_ his first true friend, _cry_.

Jaune knew he had no chance to win against her, knew that if he reached the top of the tower and fought her, he would die. But he honestly didn't intend to win, he knew he wouldn't. What he wanted was to warn the others, to make sure _everyone_ knew what had happened in Vale, otherwise chaos would allow this woman to move unimpeded. Even if the CCT was down, he knew, thanks to one of his sisters who worked on it, that there was an emergency relay that served in cases such as this, which would allow to broadcast emergency news in case of catastrophic Grimm incursion in one of the four main settlements.

And if he could punch that bitch in the face a few times before getting killed, then all the better.

 **-Break-**

"WHAT?!" snarled Cinder.

When she had accepted to answer the questions of the pathetic waste of flesh currently smirking up at her from his position on the floor, she had been so sure of her victory that she couldn't resist gloating. Who wouldn't in her case?

She had managed to trick the most brilliant minds of Remnant to get them where she wanted them, had managed to steal the remainder of the Fall Maiden's power that she hadn't been able to get the first time due to the intervention of that annoying drunk, and all her plans had gone as she wanted them to, even with their few disruptions. So she had explained, persuaded that nobody else would ever hear her words, that nobody else would learn what she had done before it was too late. It had been hard, she had admitted, to get the population into the right mindset for the Vytal Festival, the Breach, even if it hadn't been as successful as she had hoped, doing its' job nicely and making the fools hiding behind the walls lose their faith in the huntsmen. Further manipulation had raised the negative emotions in the city nicely, though Yang Xia-Long had been an easy target, the brawler thinking more with her fists than with her brain, making it easy to trick her into attacking a downed Mercury in front of countless witnesses. The final nail in the coffin had been getting Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl, to tear apart Ironwood's little project, the android Penny serving nicely to further her plan. And to top it off, the CCT had gone silent thanks to her virus, preventing help from being sent before it was too late, while she had taken control of Atlas' automated army, making the robots kill people instead of protect them.

She had never expected the useless fool in front of her, the dead last of Beacon, to trick her and not only record, but also _diffuse_ her confession to everyone across the planet!

"You…" she snarled, her beautiful face marred with an ugly grimace, "YOU!"

"Checkmate, _bitch_!" spat the blond, giving her a one-finger salute, "Do your worst, I don't care. Even if you kill me, everyone knows you're the one to blame for this whole mess, and you won't go far with everyone on Remnant gunning for your ass."

Just as she raised a hand to incinerate the infuriating blond, she had an idea and grinned evilly.

"Really? Unfortunately, Jaune, you know as they say: "Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned", and you have scorned me, Jaune. I think I will take the time I have to track down your family, and get revenge on them for allowing such a pest to go to Beacon."

As she expected, the blond stilled, his victorious grin disappearing to make place to an ugly snarl.

"DON'T YOU DARE, CINDER!"

"Oh? I wonder what your _precious_ seven sisters' last words will be, when I feed them to the Grimm. Or perhaps I can have Mercury have some fun with them before that?"

Her smile turned pure evil, her eyes burning like two demonic charcoals, focused solely on Jaune.

"You just had to be a hero, didn't you? Well then I suppose that since I am the villain, I might as well act as one. You forfeited the lives of all those close to you when you did this, _boy_. I will make sure to _crush_ every single one of them to dust, to make them _beg_ for death, and only when _I_ decide will they be allowed to die. And their deaths will be slow…Humiliating…And public…Maybe that way people will learn not to cross me.

NOW DIE!" she snarled, materializing an arrow and sending it straight into Jaune's leg, the blond screaming in pain as she did so.

 **-Break-**

In Vale, those who had witnessed the event cried out in shock. They had been understandably surprised to receive a transmission when the CCT was down, and even more so when they saw Jaune Arc, Beacon's dead last, kneeling, beaten and bloodied, in front of a woman many recognized as having participated in the Vytal Tournament in a team for Haven. Shock had turned to incredulity and then outright indignation when the woman, Cinder Fall revealed that she alone was responsible for the Grimm Invasion of Vale, that she had manipulated the White Fang into doing her dirty work, believing it to be a way to strike back to the humans for their racism.

Yang, now awake, after Adam Taurus had severed her arm, snarled in anger at the smugly smiling woman. Had she not been on her last toes, she would have made it a point to pound her face in, but alas she was in no state to do so. But under her anger, she was terrified, dealing with the trauma of having her limb cut off, she didn't dare imagine what Jaune must have felt, knowing he was going to die.

Blake, sitting a few feet from Yang, was also terribly worried. She had lived long enough in the shadows to know that the world was a cruel place, and with Jaune revealing to the world Cinder's plans, the woman was sure to torture him before killing him. Her stomach tightened at the idea of her friend getting killed, the blond being one of the very few who didn't discriminate Faunus. She might be asocial and stay mostly on her own, but Jaune was one of the few people whom she could honestly say that she liked, and now he was going to be killed, while she was unable to do anything to stop it.

Nora paled as she watched over Ren's shoulder, the over energetic member of JNPR no longer a bubble of excitement. Around the pair, Grimm carcasses were slowly dissolving, the beasts having been dealt with by the pair earlier, the two now staring at the video feed of the events unfolding at the top of the CCT tower in shock and fear.

"She's going to kill him, isn't she, Renny?" asked the ginger, trembling slightly.

Her companion, for once, had no kind words for her, instead taking her hand in his own, knowing that he was soon going to witness the death of his leader, someone for whom he had nothing but respect. As a fighter, Jaune might not be all that impressive, but given his faked transcripts, he had progressed quite fast, and as a human being, the blond was certainly one of the purest souls he had ever seen, aside from Ruby and Nora that is. It pained him immensely that there was nothing they could do to help their leader, so he vowed himself to watch everything, and use it to continue forwards, and hopefully one day kill the _bitch_ who was toying with his friend.

Weiss and Ruby had just finished killing a pack of Beowolves, the pair paling at the display on their scrolls' screens. The heiress found herself wishing she had not been so hard on the blond. Idiotic as he may have seemed, he was, at the core, a good person, someone who had seen her as Weiss, not as a Schnee, like so many did. No matter how infuriating he may be at times, he didn't deserve what was happening to him.

Ruby, for her part, was trembling, her eyes refusing to accept what she was seeing. She had lost her mother young, and while she had been too young to understand at the time, her mind had still picked up how utterly devastated her father and sister had been. She had trained to become a huntress precisely because she wanted to save as many people as people, and that a selfish part of herself didn't want to lose any more people dear to her. Yet here she was, fighting Grimm, while Jaune, her first friend, a boy she considered as something of an older brother, was being tortured by the woman responsible for Penny's death.

"Weiss, we have to save him!"

"And how do you offer to do that?!" snapped the heiress, looking livid, "In case you didn't notice, we are surrounded by Grimm, and by the time we get to the tower, he'll be dead! Even if you use your Semblance, how do you expect to win against this woman and the dragon?"

"I don't know, alright?!" shrieked Ruby, the small redhead uncharacteristically loud, "But if I don't try, I'll regret it all my life!"

And with that, she disappeared in a flash, small rose petals floating where she had stood, Weiss snarling as she cursed her partner for leaving her to fend the horde of Grimm on her own. She knew she could take them alone, but it would certainly take a toll on her.

But out of all people in Vale, the one most devastated was Pyrrha Nikos. The tall redhead was fighting her way across the town back to Beacon, not pausing as she slaughtered Grimm after Grimm, her mind focused on a single objective, reaching Jaune, the boy she loved, before he was killed. Even if she wasn't looking at her scroll, she could hear what was happening perfectly fine, and she refused to let her team leader die for her, die for Ozpin's mistakes. While she was not normally a vindictive person, at the moment she felt nothing but loathing for the old man who had forced this burden on her. Fall Maiden or not, it wasn't her responsibility to fix their mistakes, it wasn't her duty to go on and die for his plans. And if Jaune died because of his mistake, then she would make the headmaster _pay_.

 **-Break-**

Away from Vale, in the Arc ancestral family's home, it was pure chaos. In front of a TV showing the events unfolding at the top of the CCT Tower, Jaune's family were anxiously following the events, watching as their son/brother was fighting for his life, and losing.

Joan Arc, Jaune's mother, was gripping her armchair's armrests so hard that the fabric had torn under her grip, her blue eyes glaring at the gloating form of Cinder Fall. Her heart was hammering in her chest, as she watched her only son, _sweet_ , _innocent_ Jaune, fight a battle he had no hope of winning. As an experienced Huntress herself, she knew her son had nowhere near enough training, or experience, to take on the smirking _bitch_ responsible for the invasion of Vale. She was praying to every deity she knew of for a miracle, hoping against hope that something would happen and save her son's life. And if he didn't live, she would see Cinder Fall _burn._

John Arc, meanwhile, was angrily barking orders in his scroll, trying to contact some of his old acquaintances in Vale, screaming at them to get to the tower as fast as possible. As a Hunter, he was rather famous, and thus had a rather extensive web of connections, unfortunately, with the chaos going on in Vale, most of his connections were busy saving lives from the swarm of Grimm invading the city. Even Glynda Goodwitch, Beacon's Headmistress and an old friend, was being run ragged by the sheer _number_ of the creatures of darkness, her Semblance being far too precious for her to leave the front lines. And as much as it pained him, he knew that she had to put the lives of the civilians first.

While their parents did their best to cope with the news, Jaune's seven sisters were there, watching on the TV the video feed, the oldest one, Jeanne, holding the youngest, twins, who were two years younger than Jaune, in a vice grip. All the girls had tears in their eyes at seeing their brother screaming in pain as Cinder toyed with him, knowing that there was nothing they could do to save him. Their parents had tried to ask them to leave, telling them that they were too young to watch, but the chaos of indignant, furious screaming from the seven daughters of the pair had easily won.

Now, as they watched their brother fighting for his life, they could only pray for a miracle…

 **-Break-**

Back at the top of the CCT Tower, Jaune was kneeling in a pool of his own blood, crimson dribbling down his chin and one eye shut due to a cut that had nearly gouged his eyeball out. He was using Crocea Mors as a crutch as he glared at Cinder, mustering as much anger as he could to keep himself going, knowing that he was most likely living his last instants. While he may not have been the cleverest male in Beacon, even he could tell that he was dying, the wounds the smirking woman had inflicted him more than enough to drain what little Aura he had left and injure him critically.

"It seems it's time to say goodbye, Jaune. Such a pity. If I had had a devious mind like yours while planning this, things would have gone so much smoother…And don't worry about your friends, I will be taking good _care_ of them as a thank you for your actions…" purred Cinder, her arms crossed beneath her chest, a look of smug satisfaction on her face.

Just as she was about to take a step forwards, a sword forming in her hand, she had to jump back as the ground in front of her exploded.

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM, YOU BITCH!"

In a flurry of petals, Ruby landed in front of the blond, her scythe ready to cleave the older woman in two, and an expression of absolute fury distorting her normally kind figures as she glared at the amber-eyed woman.

"Well, it seems it's the pests' day…" growled Cinder, "I happen to have quite a few things to thank you for, Ruby Rose…Without you, my plans would have gone so much smoother…"

"I don't care! Stop hurting my friends!" screamed Ruby, her grip tightening on the hilt of her blade.

"Well then, sorry to disap _point_!" snarled her opponent, sending a huge blast of fire towards the diminutive redhead.

While Ruby was quite advanced compared to most of her peers, even she couldn't completely block the blast, which, had it been used on an experienced Hunter, would likely have burnt them alive. It was a testament to just how skilled the teen was that she was only blasted back into a wall, her clothes partially burnt and her hair singed, her body slumping to the ground as the shock knocked her out.

"RUBY!" coughed Jaune, trying to move to his friend's side.

"Isn't this touching…The blonde knight trying to protect the little red hood…Too bad you are too weak to succedd, Jaune Arc!" grinned Cinder, sending another blast of fire towards the downed redhead.

Yet she had underestimated just how stubborn Jaune could be, as with what little strength he had, he pushed his first friend out of the way, putting himself in the fireball's trajectory. He just had the time to raise his arms in a futile tentative to block the fire, before he was engulfed in a complete tornado of fire.

"JAUNE!"

"HAHAHAAAAAAAA! DO YOU SEE, REMNANT? THIS IS WHAT AWAITS THOSE WHO DEFY ME!" gloated the criminal mastermind, while Ruby, who had been woken by the violent shove, could only watch helplessly the place where her friend had stood, tears trailing down her cheeks.

"No…"

 **-Break-**

"JAUNE!" shrieked eight voices, back in the Arc home, as seven sisters and a mother watched their beloved brother and son be engulfed by a giant fireball.

 **-Break-**

Pyrrha was running, not even paying attention to the Grimm swarming around her, dispatching them almost as an afterthought, Milo cleaving through wave after wave as panicked green eyes watched the top of the CCT Tower.

" _Jaune…Please, be safe!"_

 **-Break-**

Jaune blinked as he looked around him. He was dead? If so, then the afterlife was kinda boring, the whole "empty white space" thing being more than enough to depress him at the prospect of being forced to spend eternity bored out of his mind in a sea of white.

"Come on, I'm not asking for a harem or anything like, just a nice TV and some X Ray and Vav comics, is it too much to ask?" he mumbled, irritated.

As he grumbled to himself, he did not notice the seven feet tall silhouette appearing out of thin air behind him, until said silhouette touched the ground, sending a ripple through the space they were both in, and making Jaune whirl around and pale.

Now Jaune, in his life, had met quite a few intimidating people. An angry Yang Xia-Long was intimidating, Coco when she was on a fashion rant was intimidating, Mrs. Goodwitch was _very_ intimidating, but the being in front of him took the cake and the whole bakery with him.

Looking down at him was some kind of being clad in elegant silver armor, the torso split open to reveal a black, skeletal chest on a crimson background, the hole reaching up to the middle of the being's face and showing a black, skeletal jaw that honestly creeped the Hell out of the teenager.

"Uhm? Who're you? The welcoming committee? Didn't see you there, ahahaha…" stammered Jaune, though for some reason the smirking (?) being gave him the odd urge to punch him.

" **You have changed much, Asura.** "

The voice thundered through the empty space, echoing through the silence. Surprisingly, it didn't scare Jaune, as he couldn't sense any malice from the being in front of him, despite his less than reassuring appearance.

"Uhm, sir? My name is Jaune Arc, not Asura…" feebly gulped the blonde, only for the being to wave his hand dismissively.

" **In this life, it is. But in your former life, you were Asura, the Destructor. The only one to ever best me, Chakravartin, the Creator."**

As he prepared to interrupt the newly named Chakravartin, who had raised a single finger, Jaune suddenly fell on one knee, screaming in pain as the most intense suffering he had ever experienced tore through him. It was worse than when he had briefly felt the scorching heat of Cinder's fireball, worse than _anything_ he had experienced. His aura, which should have been depleted, enveloped him in a giant ball of white light, the white slowly turning a deep crimson.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH…..RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

As Chakravarting watched on, impassively, an explosion of power centered around Jaune tore through the air, sending violent wind currents in every direction as golden streams of fire exploded from the kneeling teen.

"GGRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! **CHAKRAVARTINNNNNNNNNNN!"**

As the tornado of power intensified, Jaune's voice grew louder, and deeper, going from the pitch of a young adult to the one of a grown man, rumbling like an avalanche. It was the voice of someone who knew no fear, the voice of someone who _never_ , ever gave up. It was the voice of a warrior above warriors, the voice of a _legend_.

The whirlwind suddenly died out as the person in the center of the explosion of power propelled themselves forwards, towards Chakravartin, one fist reared back to strike. Yet the sinister being did not cower, and instead almost gently caught the tightened fist aimed for his face.

" **Peace, Asura. We have much to speak of, and very little time to do so."**

" **Why should I believe you? Why should I believe a** _ **ghost**_ **?!"** spat "Jaune".

The blond had undergone a spectacular transformation in the time he had spent in the center of the tornado of power. He had grown by a full foot, now standing at over seven feet tall, with a physique unlike anything Jaune had ever had during his life, even with his intensive training at Beacon. The man standing in his' place was nothing like the awkward, dorky blonde that had become known around Beacon as "Jauney boy" or "Vomit boy". No, where Jaune had been awkward, socially inept, and scrawny, the one now standing in his place was his polar opposite.

Barefoot, and wearing only red and black pants that had obviously lived through countless battles if their worn state was any indication, Asura was built like a God among men, without a single ounce of fat on his body, muscles highlighted by the countless lines and markings on his body. Instead of messy blonde hair, white, spiky hair that seemed to defy gravity itself crowned a chiseled face with a strong jaw, and burning white eyes, perpetually set in a glare. Finally, both his hands and forearms were covered in metal gauntlets with the same elegant build than Chakravartin's body.

This was Asura, Demigod and former member of the Eight Guardian Generals, the most elite members of Shinkoku Trastrium. Certainly the single most powerful member of their race, a master fighter who had lived for over twelve thousand years and mastered every form of combat known to his race, and finally, the only one to have ever bested Chakravartin, God of Mantra, in a fight.

" **As I said, we have little time. It has been a long time since we last met, Redeemer. I know you harbor a deep hatred for me and my actions, and it is for that very reason that I am here. When you bested me all those eons ago, you thought you had destroyed all Mantra, but you were wrong. There always** _ **must**_ **be a source of Mantra, and with my defeat, it is now your privilege and burden to become the new God of Mantra."**

" **I refuse!"** snarled Asura, " **Mantra will only bring pain to those who use it! Fools who seek power will again harvest the souls of humans to augment their own power, believing themselves to be above those who cannot use Mantra. NO MORE!"**

Chakravartin, instead of getting angry, only seemed amused.

" **You are still the same, after all this time…Yet this is not a choice, it is a** _ **fact**_ **, Redeemer. You** _ **are**_ **the new God of Mantra. The only reason I had not yet passed my mantle on to you was because I felt you needed to learn to control your rage. While your years as Jaune Arc represent but a fraction of your life, they taught you the merits of thinking before acting, of strategizing instead of flying blindly into danger. It is my hope that this seed will allow you to reach the true heights I know you can reach.**

 **You have impressed me, Asura, and above all you deserve this honor and burden. Use this power well, as I know you will…"**

As the former God of Mantra dissolved into motes of light, Asura snarled as he felt his own power skyrocket, reaching levels he had only briefly touched on when he had fought Chakravartin in his old life, his rage at seeing his daughter cry allowing him to beat a God black and blue.

Yet as he seethed, he felt the pull of the outside world, and with it came the memories of his mortal shell, making him growl. It seemed that even when Mantra wasn't around, some fools still sought to rule the world.

 **-Break-**

Back at the top of the CCT Tower, Ruby Rose could only stare in mute shock to the badly burnt corpse that had been her first friend ever, tears falling from her eyes as she realized that the boy she saw as a kind older brother was gone.

She was so shocked that she barely registered Cinder extending her hand, forming another fireball in it and aiming it at her, her smirk still plastered on her face as she advanced on to the little reaper.

"At last I will be free of your meddling, girl. You ruined a lot of perfectly good plans and minions, made me work overtime to compensate for your actions, but finally, you'll be gone. I do wonder how your sister will react, if Adam hasn't killed her yet, but knowing that idiot, he's likely to have eliminated her already."

As the flames illuminated a terrified Ruby, who was trying, and failing, to move due to her injuries, Cinder gave the teen a smug smirk.

"Welcome to the real world, Ruby Rose, where only those with power survive."

Just as she was about to incinerate the redhead, she was interrupted by the dragon, who until that point had been silent, growling and shifting back.

"What is it?" growled Cinder, "Another wannabe hero?" she groused, half-turning to see what had attracted the attention of the elder Grimm, only to take a step back in shock, as both Ruby and her stared at the glowing corpse of Jaune Arc.

Wisps of orange Aura seemed to be emitting from it, slowly at first, but quickly quickening, until she had to hold herself to the wall as a literal _tornado_ of Aura engulfed the corpse, wind whipping around wildly by the sheet power emitted from the body.

With a snarl, Cinder sent another fireball towards it, only for it to dissolve harmlessly only halfway from the body, the aura composing it being literally blown away by the sheer power and amount of the Aura now pouring from the burnt Arc.

As she watched, the body twitched, charcoal black lips opening as a grunt escaped them, the grunt evolving into a loud growl, which itself soon left place to a harsh howl of pure _rage_ , glowing white eyes opening fully and staring straight of the raven-haired criminal.

"Impossible!" stammered Cinder, who, for the first time in a very long while, felt fear gripping her heart. There was _something_ in those glowing white eyes that made her want to run away screaming like a little girl and hide, but her more logical side won over her instincts, as she summoned a large amount of fire, her golden eyes glowing with power as she glared at the now slowly moving body.

"I don't know how you managed to survive, boy, but this is the end! I will not let you or that girl disturb my plans again, _die_!"

This time, there was no fireball, no, instead, Cinder sent a complete tempest of fire towards Jaune, burning everything in its' wake. Ruby screamed, trying to help her friend, but she had twisted her ankle earlier, and due to the extensive amount of Aura she had used to get to the tower, she had very little left to heal herself.

Yet Jaune didn't seem disturbed by the wave of fire flying his way, instead, with a scream of anger, he raised his hand…and _swatted_ the fire away, sending the tempest of flames to crash harmlessly on a nearby wall, charring it.

"W-what?" stammered the criminal, unable to believe her eyes.

"Grrrrrr….RRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" howled Jaune, his body _exploding_ with blinding light, forcing everyone who was watching to close their eyes as a miniature sun burnt itself in their retina.

Cinder was forced to use her arms to shield herself, trying as best as she could to not be sent flying by the tempestuous winds, while Ruby was leaning on the wall that supported her injured frame, using her right arm to shield her eyes as she tried to peer at her friend, to see if he was alright.

The Grimm dragon itself was unnerved by the events, despite being in a league far beyond even the best huntsmen. As old and powerful as it was, it had developed intelligence sufficient to plan and act accordingly, something that made it vastly more dangerous than its' lesser brethren, especially given its size. And it remembered, too, it remembered when it was not as big, or as powerful, as it currently was, it remembered a time where huntsmen, _normal_ huntsmen, posed a threat to it, and that it was forced to flee to stay alive. Yet even then, even when its life had been threatened, it hadn't felt as it currently did. At the moment, its instincts were pushing it to attack, yet at the same time were telling it that the little human in the middle of the tornado of power had suddenly become an enemy it had no hope of defeating.

The first to act as the wind finally died down was Cinder, who sent a large blast of fire as soon as the wind lessened a bit, even if she could not aim properly due to the fact that she was still shielding her eyes. How she hoped that she would kill Jaune when her earlier blast had been much more powerful and yet had been treated as little more than an annoyance was unclear, but she was getting desperate, as she had never been so hopelessly outclassed before.

"DIE DAMN IT! DIE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, YOUR STUPID BEAST? KILL HIM!" she shrieked, hoping that the Dragon would succeed where she had failed. After all, even with all her power, she was nowhere near powerful enough to fight a Grimm that old and powerful, and if her boss hadn't told her it would listen to her, she wouldn't have stepped anywhere near it.

The Dragon didn't seem to hear her, but at least it seemed it had decided to act on its' own. Snarling, it raised a wing and brought it down on the area where Jaune was, still surrounded by quickly dissipating light, intent on crushing the human. Yet before it could even touch him, "Jaune" stopped the multi-ton appendage. With one hand. A _very large, very metallic hand_.

As the light surrounding "Jaune" finally died off, neither Cinder nor Ruby could prevent their jaws from opening in pure shock. Both knew that the blonde Arc was hardly the most physically fit of individuals, despite his training he was only barely decent compared to his peers, and was hardly muscular. Ruby knew this well enough from the time she had spent around her fellow leader, she had bumped into him enough to know that while he was toned, he was nowhere near muscular. Cinder knew the same, as she had carefully studied the files of those that might pose a threat to her plans, and the boy _was_ close to the team who had foiled Roman, not to mention being on the same team as Ozpin's prime candidate to replace the Fall Maiden.

Which is why, the _man_ standing where Jaune Arc should have been _could not_ be the blonde, not even with mysterious Aura lights and moving corpses involved. First of all, the newcomer was _tall_ , standing at a good seven feet where the blonde had stood at barely over six feet, and people didn't just grow an entire foot in mere minutes. Second, the man was, in a word, _a warrior_ through and through, with hard muscles rippling under his surprisingly tanned skin in a way that would have made many a woman drool. Third, Jaune Arc and _manly_ were _not_ words used in the same sentence. The blonde was a dork, plain and simple, and was hardly what could be called an Alpha male. His replacement, however, _oozed_ testosterone from all his pores, in a way that would have most males prostrate themselves in front of him and beg to learn the secrets of his manliness. And finally, the _aura_ they projected was completely different. From being around Jaune, Ruby knew that most of the time, the blond projected the aura of a big, goofy older brother, of someone who would help you in a heartbeat out of sheer generosity, and seemed unable to harm even a fly. Instead, his replacement looked like someone who broke bones and crushed skulls without a care in the world.

"J-Jaune?" squeaked Ruby, a deep blush covering her cheeks.

Younger than the other first years or not, she was a girl too, and while she had different standards than Yang who was rather big on looks, she could still admire a nice body. Especially since "Jaune" was shirtless, exposing a body of hard muscles, with simple, slightly torn black and red pants. Her weapon-loving brain also noticed the intricately carved, silvery gauntlets that seemed to mesh with his skin, different from anything she had ever seen, and as weapon lover, she prided herself on being aware of most types of weaponry.

 _I wonder what it feels like to be hugged by those big, strong arms…Bad Ruby, bad! Yang's the pervert, not you! Think unsexy thoughts! Jaune in his onesie!_

" **Pathetic…"** rumbled the newcomer, looking at the Dragon with what appeared to be disappointment, " **I would have thought that you were as challenging as a Gohma, but you aren't even worth that…Now DIE!"**

With a roar, the man _tore the wing off,_ the Dragon screeching in pain as its limb was ripped off its body, the wing disintegrating now that it no longer was in contact with it. However, it was quick to react, lunging and swallowing its foe in a single bite with a rumbling snarl.

"JAUNE!" screamed Ruby, distraught at the sight, while Cinder looked torn between disbelieving and being angry, what with her main piece being brutally maimed in front of her eyes when she had been convinced of its invincibility.

"Well, Ruby Rose, it seems that your friend no longer has any surprise to spring on us," cockily smiled the criminal, "I will admit, I was surprised at his transformation, but apparently for all his bluster he was little more than a brag-"

Nobody would ever know what Cinder had intended to say at that moment, for she was interrupted by a sudden screech of pain, the Dragon thrashing around, its' tail narrowly missing the golden-eyed beauty.

" **Raaaaa….RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!"**

At that precise moment, all those who were witnessing the scene through the recoding scroll that Jaune had set up to have Cinder spill her plans in public could only stare, as the Grimm Dragon, an Elder Grimm considered an intercontinental threat, that could not even be dealt with for sure by coordinating the efforts of all four kingdoms, saw its head literally _explode_ like a ripe fruit under the pressure of an armored fist, a familiar, hulking figure emerging from the destroyed cranium, coated in black ichor but none the worse for wear.

"Impossible…" croaked Cinder, who had fallen on her backside, her golden eyes wide in fear.

Her plans hadn't gone as she had expected them to, but how could that be? The Dragon was one of the most powerful Grimms on Remnant, surpassed only by one, perhaps two other creatures, and yet it had been _killed by a single punch_. Just what in Oum's name was this _thing_ that had taken Jaune Arc's place.

"W-What are you? D-Don't! DON'T! STAY AWAY FROM ME! MONSTER!"

The man merely quirked an eyebrow, eyes blazing with white light glaring at the cowering criminal with pure anger.

" **Monster?** _ **Me**_ **? WHO WAS IT WHO CAUSED HUNDREDS OF DEATHS FOR NOTHING BUT THEIR OWN GREED! YOU ARE THE MONSTER, CINDER FALL!"**

With a scream of pure rage, the criminal spat blood as a giant, metallic fist buried itself in her gut, crushing her internal organs.

" **This was for shaming Yang!"**

 **-Break-**

Elsewhere, the buxom blonde, who was admiring the sculpted form of her friend and slightly drooling, cheered.

"Go Vomit boy! Show her who's boss!"

And while she would never admit it and tried to hide it from a smirking Blake, she blushed a bit at the attention. A girl had to accept such heartfelt feelings after all. Especially when the man showing them was an Adonis with muscles in all the right places…

 **-Break-**

As Cinder clutched her midsection, her Aura trying to mend the massive internal damage she was suffering from, helped by the Fall Maiden's power, she was grabbed by the leg and sent flying into a nearby wall, several of her bones snapping due to the sheer strength of the toss.

" **That was for making Pyrrha kill Penny!"**

 **-Break-**

Pyrrha, who had paused in her rush to get to Jaune to check just _what_ was going on at the top of the Tower, blushed happily, though it was rather subdued, the redhead unsure of what to think of the person who _should be_ Jaune but looked nothing, and _acted nothing_ like the blonde she had fallen for.

 **-Break-**

Vomiting blood as she tried to stand, Cinder could only stare through bleary eyes as the tall form of her executioner approached her. At first, she dismissed it as a trick of the light, but as he stepped closer, her eyes widened as she realized that no, she was not hallucinating, and "Jaune" was now sporting _three pairs_ of metallic arms, all of his hands balled into fists.

" **And above all…This is for making RUBY CRYYYYYYYYYYYY!"**

There was no word to express the utter _terror_ the criminal was feeling at the moment. She had hardly ever been the weakest one in a fight, if only because of her personal power and the fact that she preferred to avoid direct confrontation, but there _had_ been a few times where she had been the weakest, one such time being on her first encounter with Salem. Yet it was the absolute first time she felt such mind-numbing terror. It was as if she was facing an angry _God_ , and had suddenly become very aware that she was little more than an ant trying to fight a being so powerful that anything she did would only irritate him further.

The _one_ good thing about all that was that she was too numb to feel the pain of her body being blown to pieces, reduced to nothing more than its base components by the sheer _power_ behind the _six armed_ punch that destroyed her body, as well as a large part of what remained of the CCT Tower. Her last seconds on Remnant were nothing but utter _terror_ , her thoughts little more than a jumbled mess.

" **Hm. Weakling."**

 **-Break-**

All across Remnant, people watched with wide eyes as a Primal Grimm and a criminal mastermind who had shown herself to be massively powerful, perhaps one of the most powerful people on Remnant, were destroyed with contemptuous ease. While everyone knew Huntsmen were powerful, it would take a fool to not realize that the man who had appeared in Jaune Arc's place was far more powerful than even the strongest Huntsman, and it begged the question of just _who_ , and _what_ , he was.

 **-Break-**

In Vale, Glynda Goodwitch, someone who was privately called the Ice Queen by her students given the permanent scowl on her otherwise beautiful face, was experiencing an emotion she was not quite used to: pure shock. As Beacon's combat teacher, she had seen firsthand how badly behind his peers Jaune Arc was, and while had improved by leaps and bounds since he had started, he was still nowhere near the level of an average first year, let alone a Huntsman. Aside from a larger than normal Aura pool, the blonde had been below average in everything, and she had not expected him to amount to anything before at least the middle of his second year.

Which was why, to see her student die, and then apparently _resuscitate_ looking like a veteran warrior able to trash a Grimm than even _she_ wouldn't fight without the assistance of at least five _full_ teams of veteran Huntsmen, was a rude shock to her. Her mind, distracted as it was, still noted that it was a good thing that the man seemed to be on their side, otherwise they would certainly have lost. The question now was, what would he do?

 **-Break-**

Asura growled as he looked at where Cinder had been. For all her bluster, she was pitifully weak, then again, for all her strength compared to the average human, she was barely as strong as the average demigod, when he was the absolute strongest on his race, and now _God of Mantra_ to top it all. If he ever saw Chakravartin again, he would make sure to punch the former God in the face, as he wanted nothing to do with the responsibility. He was a fighter, plain and simple. He was _not_ someone to be prayed to, nor did he want the trouble of having to look after a whole world of people. All he wanted was a family, and to make sure that this family was safe. Everything else didn't matter.

"J-Jaune?" squeaked a voice.

Looking back, he saw Ruby propped on one arm as she looked at him with both relief and fear. He could understand both, as her mind was probably telling her that he _should_ be Jaune Arc, while she feared his power, and that he might not actually be her friend, who had come back from the dead. She had really no reason to fear him, actually, since his time as Jaune had left him with the same feelings of protectiveness towards his friends he had once felt for Mithra, especially in Ruby's case. While naiver than his daughter, Ruby was quite similar in that she was a pure soul, who didn't wish harm on anybody, and would do whatever possible to ensure that her loved ones were safe.

" **Ruby,"** he nodded, slowly walking up to the injured redhead, whom he now dwarfed by almost two feet.

"Are you…Are you really Jaune?" asked the small reaper, looking hopeful.

" **It would be more accurate to say that Jaune is me…Crater face."**

While he usually didn't use nicknames, he could tell that Ruby was on the verge of crying, and if using her nickname from when they had first met helped her, he would gladly use it. He could tell that it was the good thing to say when her eyes widened and that she flung herself to him, wrapping herself around him like a cute little limpet bawling her eyes out on his naked chest.

"JAUNE! OhOumIwasoworriedwhenshekilledyouandhowdidyoucomebackfromthedeadandwheredidyougetallthosemusclesandOumyoulooksocooland…"

She was interrupted when a large hand patted her head, two others holding her by the shoulders while yet another dried her tears.

" **Deep breaths, Ruby. I'm alright, though why I look like this is…complicated. I was never good at explanations, so I will try to be as short as possible about it. My name is Asura, and I am a demigod reincarnated as Jaune when I died, with none of my memories. Up until the moment I died at Cinder's hands, I remembered nothing of who I was, but now I do, and I have my powers back. I am more Asura than Jaune, but I assure you that I remember everything I went through with you, team RWBY and team JNPR."**

Ruby's eyes were wide as she stared at Asura, looking shocked to be in the presence of a true demigod, though she would be even more shocked had she known that said demigod was now a true _God_ , but that would come later.

"Really?! Oh, what can you do? It would be ssooo could if you could create weapons and stuff, and make cookies and…"

The newly christened God of Mantra smirked wryly as he held one of his palms open, willing a cookie to appear in it, making Ruby squeal in joy as she snatched the sugary treat and munched on it happily.

What Asura didn't realize, was that everything was _still_ being recorded and streamed all over Remnant, his admission prompting various reactions.

 **-Break-**

"YAY! Renny, our glorious leader can make us UNLIMITED PANCAKES! BEST LEADER EVER!" cheered Nora, who was hopping up and down in excitement. Her more silent friend didn't interrupt her, too shocked as he was that the boy he considered as a brother was now a divine being with apparently reality-bending powers.

 **-Break-**

In another part of Vale, a certain bully paled drastically. It was not exactly nice to realize that the boy you had mocked, ridiculed and bullied was now someone who could squash you like a bug.

 **-Break-**

With Weiss, who was now sitting and taking deep breaths after having dealt with most of the Grimm in her area, she had more mixed feelings on the subject. After all, Jaune Arc had been a rather a rather nice boy, clumsiness and dorkiness aside, but those were the main reasons she had never reciprocated his feelings for her. Yet now, as she stared at the impressing figure of a _demigod_ , she was unsure of how to act with the knowledge that she had turned down, more often than not violently, someone with more power in a single finger than the entire staff of Beacon put together.

And she had to admit, he looked _good_ now.

 **-Break-**

Back to the top of the tower, Asura watched Ruby gleefully devour the cookie he had created, though he wondered what Chakravartin would have said about him using his powers over Mantra to create food. No doubt the prick would be incensed at the idea of him using a sacred power for that.

As he watched Ruby, he pondered on his next course of action. He was massively powerful, but even him couldn't protect a whole planet at once, which meant that if he wanted mankind to eradicate the Grimm, he would need to give the power to use Mantra to people, however he had seen what it had done to the Triastum, which made him rather wary of doing so. Yet, as he watched his first friend look up at him wide, silver, and _pure_ eyes, he realized that he already knew what he should do.

" **Ruby.** "

"Y-Yes?!" squeaked the reaper, looking startled by his rumbling voice after the moment of silence," Oh, we should go help the others!"

" **Before you go Ruby, I have an offer for you. You once said that as Huntsmen, it was our job to make sure that people got happy ends, but now you have seen that sometimes it takes more power than you actually have to accomplish that."**

Lifting one of his hands, a ball of condensed Mantra appeared in it. While he could have chosen to gift her a specific type of Mantra, it felt better to give her a condensed form containing all aspects of the energy, so that the one most attuned to her would win out over the others and saturate her body.

" **This is Mantra, an energy that I can gift to you. It would make you much stronger than you are now, and would allow you to protect yourself and our friends much easier. However, know that if you choose to use it, it** _ **will**_ **affect you. You would, depending on how much Mantra you produce, either start aging much slower, or stop aging completely. I have had this body for over twenty thousand years and it hardly changed once I reached adulthood."**

 **-Break-**

"TWENTY THOUSAND YEARS?!" shrieked those who were watching the video stream.

Honestly, it was hard to blame them, even the Huntsmen, with their Aura keeping them alive and in good health much longer than normal people, never lived over a hundred and fifty, and that was in extreme cases.

Twenty thousand years was honestly hard to picture, for _anyone_. Those with notions of history could only choke on their words as Asura admitted to have lived longer than any known _civilization_ had been around. It was honestly terrifying, as with his power, his age gave him all the experience he needed to become a truly unstoppable force.

Many were thinking of how they could live that long and still be _sane_ , seeing those they loved die, as while many _wanted_ eternal youth, more than a few realized that it was _not_ a blessing to live for so long. Sure, you could see and experience more than anyone else, but with it also came the price of such a long life, and the eventual despair of keeping on living when the world changed until it was nothing like when you were born.

It was a lonely existence.

 **-Break-**

Ruby could only stare with wide eyes at Asura, her mind drawing a blank at his words. Sure, she wanted more power, to protect her friends, to protect people, and to make sure that what had happened to her mother didn't happen anymore, but was she ready to live for so long? Was it worth the price?

Then her eyes widened and she nodded, her small hands cupping Asura's much larger ones in her own, metal meeting warm flesh as the reaper gazed at the God with warm eyes.

"You'll be here too, right? I don't wanna be alone if I live for that long. And…Could you, you know, do the same for Yang, Weiss and Blake if they're alright with it? It wouldn't be fair that I get everything for myself and not give them a chance to make the same choice…"

 **-Break-**

"You dunce…" muttered Weiss, her cheeks a bit pink.

It was the first time that someone had done something like this for her, and it touched her much more than she'd care to admit. Almost eternal life with incredible power was an offer that she knew many would sell their entire family for, and here Ruby was bargaining for the same offer to be made to them, at risk at getting nothing for herself.

 _Honestly, she's so much better as a leader than I ever would be…_

 **-Break-**

" **Of course,"** smiled Asura. It had been his intention to make the same offer to the other members of team RWBY and team JNPR, as he could tell that all of them were people with pure souls. Of course, Blake would deny that she was pure, her time with the White Fang making her believe that she didn't deserve such an offer, but the fact that she had willingly quit the group instead of following it into the depths it was now made it clear that her morals were stronger than anyone else's.

Staring down, he watched as Ruby seemed to think, before nodding.

"Okay then! Sooo…Do we do it here, or do we wait after we've dealt with the Grimm?" she asked, looking back at Vale, where large clouds of smoke could be seen.

" **It will only take a moment, so we can do it now, it will help you clean up the Grimm faster. It might hurt you for a moment though, are you sure about this?"**

"MmmmmMm!" nodded the redhead, "So hurry, we've got to help everyone!"

With a rumbling chuckle, he carefully pushed the orb of Mantra inside Ruby's stomach, the redhead giggling at the feeling.

"It tickles!"

Then her eyes widened and she screamed, Asura holding her close as the Mantra started to change her body. Mantra was a lot like Aura, however it fundamentally enhanced one's body, to the point that the skin was pretty much the same as metal, and Ruby's Aura would have to raise in consequence, a painful process as he had guessed.

However, he had also expected the infusion of Mantra to be quick, as the amount he had given her was enough to make her the equivalent of one of the Eight Divine Generals from his time. And indeed, the process was fast. He could already see her body changing, growing a bit to accommodate the enormous amount of power it had just received, and he gently took her hood off, as he knew that she would be upset if it was damaged in any way.

With a final scream, Ruby's body flashed with a bright light, before the new Ruby Rose appeared. The infusion had clearly affected her body, as she seemed to have grown a couple of years older and a good foot in height. She had grown from a budding rose into a flower in full bloom, and Asura almost pitied the fools who tried to court her, given Yang's protectiveness of her sister. Instead of her corset, her clothes now resembled those of his time, though a little less revealing that what Olga had worn. The color theme was also different, instead of a golden and silver armored dress, it was now crimson and black, Ruby's colors, with her emblem proudly displayed above her heart. Her hair had also grown past her shoulders, making her look much more feminine than before. He could already see her goggling at her new bust size, something he knew had bothered her when compared to the older girls, save for Weiss.

"Wow…" she breathed, "That was intense. Well then, Jau-I mean Asura, let's kick some Grimm's butts!"

With that, she grabbed Crescent Rose (which he had made sure to infuse with Mantra as well so that it would adapt to Ruby's new build), and vanished in a storm of rose petals, much faster than she had ever been before.

Laughing lightly, he then concentrated, his hands all coming together as in prayer, as he focused his Mantra. He didn't really need to take his strongest form to clean up the weaklings that had invaded Vale, but he wanted to gauge his new level of power since before he had hardly had the time to properly evaluate just how strong he was.

As his arms changed, became larger and more decorated, while a metallic circle appeared behind him, floating behind his back, he started running, until, with a roar, he launched himself into Vale.

 **-Break-**

"Coco, watch out at six o'clock!"

"Roger!" grinned the fashionata, a flurry of bullets tearing through the Alpha Beowolf who had tried to sneak on them. So far, the group of second years had managed to kill off the Grimm who had tried to go further into Vale, decimating entire groups of Beowolves, Ursa, and the leaders of said groups. Yet even then, the wave of Grimm seemed endless, for each one killed ten more appeared, stronger and faster, while team CVFY only grew more tired with time. What's more, they were limited in how they could fight, as they couldn't afford to damage the buildings too severely in case people were hidden inside, which was more than likely given how sudden the invasion had been.

"Coming through!"

"Wha-" started Coco, only to grab her hat as a red and black blur appeared from nowhere, slashing through the Grimm as if they weren't there, a soft laugh trailing behind the silhouette in the middle of a tempest of red petals.

There was only one person that Coco and her team knew to resemble that description, and last time they had checked, Ruby Rose wasn't that fast, or that strong. She was utterly _crushing_ the Grimm single-handedly, and she didn't even seem to be _trying_ , if the way she was laughing, freely and without a care in the world, was any indication.

"This is amazing!"

By the sound of her voice, the first year seemed exhilarated, almost giddy, like a kid trying out a completely new toy that went well beyond what they had imagined about it. And by the few glimpses Coco caught of Ruby during the rare times she slowed down in her extermination, she could say it was an apt description. For some reason, in the time between the initial invasion and then, the first year had grown a full foot, changed her clothes into something even _she_ could tell was of much higher quality than what she usually wore. Not to mention the fact that she had apparently grown physically as well, Coco could certainly tell that her new clothes allowed more breathing room than her previous ones, and yet the girl's, no young woman's bust seemed to strain against it. It wasn't the biggest pair the fashionata had ever seen, but it was much bigger than earlier that day.

"Hey Coco!" cheered the new Ruby, waving Crescent Rose in greetings, and making team CVFY stare.

Now that they could see her clearly, the changes of the first year were obvious, much more than what the split-second glimpses they had gotten earlier had suggested. For one, she had indeed grown, now standing at six feet in height, while her body seemed to be more around their age instead of fifteen. What had been a cute little underclassman earlier that day was now a young woman in full bloom, with clothes that did nothing to hide her figure, emphasizing it instead, and drawing attention to her newly found curves. Coco, as the fashionata she was, could only applaud whoever had designed them, as they were both highly practical while also showing off her body in a way that wasn't too obvious or obscene.

"Hey Red," grinned Coco, "Looking good!"

"Ehehe! Thanks!" smiled the younger girl, with a bashful grin. "Sorry, can I leave this to you? I wanna find my team."

"Meh, leave this to us, you've dealt with most of the Grimm, we should be fine. Also, once this is done, you are _so_ telling me who made your clothes!"

"Sure!" waved the first year, disappearing in yet another burst of speed.

"It sure is never boring with her around…" mumbled Velvet.

 **-Break-**

Glynda scowled as she tore apart yet another Grimm pack. While the Dragon had been dealt with, it seemed its death had enraged the other Grimm, making them attack with much more ferocity, and in much greater numbers, than before. While Ironwood was helping, as well as the other members of the Beacon staff, they couldn't go on the offensive without exposing the civilians they were protecting to the Grimm, which they couldn't afford.

While their situation wasn't desperate, it was still far from ideal as far as she was concerned, since her primary way of fighting was her Semblance, and while she had enough stamina to last for a while yet, she needed to preserve some of her energy for the cleanup. Finding survivors would be her paramount concern once everything was done, and the more Aura she could spare for that task, the better.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

With the sound of different explosions, a large silhouette blurred into existence, a single kick killing off the entire Beowulf pack that she had been about to kill next. It was impressive to see a naked foot, albeit one of unusual size, manage to shatter the first's Beowulf's mask, sending it flying with a shockwave into the others, the shock shattering their own masks as well.

" **Pitiful!"**

A large hand grabbed the head of an Ursa Major, crushing it as it was a ripe watermelon and not the head of a beast that would resist most convenient weaponry.

" **Weak!"**

Two hands grabbed two different Grimm, shattering their faces together while another pair tore the beasts to shreds.

" **Slow!"**

A large, muscular body leant back, avoiding the swipe of another Ursa Major, a knee slamming into the beast's stomach, a hand pushing down the bear-like creature into the ground, creating a large crater.

As the man stood up, his six arms open in a defiant posture, Glynda finally got a good look at who had been her worst student up until recently. She had to admit, from up close, Asura was _extremely_ impressive. Not only was he built with nothing but hard muscles, there was an aura about him that just screamed violence, and given the way he fought, she could see why. While there _was_ some technique in his style of fight, it was mostly making use of his massive physical skills to overpower and crush his enemies, beating them to a bloody pulp.

As she watched, two glowing white eyes briefly met hers, and she felt her heartbeat quicken. As a strong and stern woman, she was very aware that _very_ few men would dare hit on her if they were in their right mind, and while most of the time she was perfectly happy with that, given the amount of work she had to help Ozpin with, there were times, rare as they were, that she wished to meet someone who wasn't just after her looks or reputation. And Asura met most of her requirements, at least from what little she had seen of his interaction with Ruby rose, and of what she knew about Jaune.

" **Glynda?"**

Dear Oum, his voice itself would be enough to have a horde of virgin maidens offer themselves to him!

"Asura, was it?" she coughed, trying to get her mind out of the gutter. It was neither the place nor the time to think about her student's impressively built body, about the way he towered above her, or how his simple presence seemed to wrap her in a warm embrace.

" **Yes. I've deal with all the Grimm I've met so far, and Ruby should be somewhere around helping too. Do you know where I could find the members of teams RWBY and JNPR? I have an offer to make to them."**

"I assume you are speaking about giving them the same power that you did with Miss Rose? I am not sure I approve of you giving out such power freely, not to mention that I do not trust you. For all we know you could have lied to Miss Rose about you truly being Mister Arc, and are using his name to secure yourself a place in this world after taking over his bod-"

She didn't even have the time to blink as a metallic fist grazed her cheek, cutting a very thin line in it and drawing blood as two blazing eyes stared at her with an intensity that made her want to run away screaming. She had always been good at evaluating people, and right now she could tell that Asura was incensed at her words, and she fully believed he was capable of killing her right then and there for the perceived slight.

" **I** _ **was**_ **Jaune Arc, Miss Goodwitch, this I swear. I do not care if you believe me or not, your opinion doesn't matter to me. But if I believe for a single moment that you are trying to separate me from my** _ **friends**_ **, good intentions or not, I will** _ **crush**_ **you, is that clear?"**

By that point she was almost catatonic with terror, as she had finally felt the true depths of Asura's power as it flared around him, making her understand just how weak she truly was to him. She was Glynda Goodwitch, Deputy Headmistress of Beacon, and, without boasting, one of the strongest fighters on Remnant. And yet, compared to Asura, she was less than an ant. She could focus all her power on him, he would simply shrug it off without it affecting him.

With a gulp of air, she could only watch as the demigod (and she believed this claim now), ran off, moving like an angry beast as he crushed the Grimm he encountered. He may have destroyed Cinder Fall and the Grimm Dragon, but he may very well become the next threat to the peace.

 **-Break-**

It was Pyrrha who found him first, though she didn't have to search very hard for him, the sounds of battle that followed him everywhere he went made it rather easy to track him. Especially since Asura was hardly what one would call discreet, smashing his enemies and roaring his everlasting wrath to the Heavens.

When she first saw him, the redhead gulped. Jaune Arc had never been someone she would associate with the notion of "threatening", but Asura was an entirely other story. Her experience in combat and her honed instincts told her that the demigod in front of her could squash her like a bug with only the barest effort on his part, and it frightened her. But what scared her the most was the possibility that Jaune was dead, and his "replacement" didn't remember her, or wanted nothing to do with her.

What she felt for the blonde leader had started off as a simple crush, due to the fact that Jaune didn't know who she was and treated her like any other girl, while others put her on a pedestal and worshipped her from afar. But as time went on, as she spent time with the dorky blond, she had come to truly love him, her crush becoming so much more. She _admired_ Jaune, for having the courage to do what he thought was right, for putting his all behind his goal of becoming a Huntsman, for being kind to everyone no matter their circumstances. She had wanted nothing more to admit her feelings to him, but before she could do so, the events had gotten out of hand and they had to fight for their life.

"J-Jaune?"

Asura paused, his hand crushing the head of the last Beowolf of the pack he had been fighting, before turning to her.

" **Pyrrha…"**

She almost cried right then and there at the emotion she could hear in his voice, at how this unfamiliar voice spoke her name much in the same way Jaune did.

Slowly, she walked towards the towering figure, taking in the details of his appearance, of how _different_ he was from her love. Yet for all the differences, she could feel that at his core, Asura was much the same as Jaune, someone who would fight to the death for what he considered to be the right thing. Even if society as a whole would condemn them, they would keep on fighting until their last breath.

When she was only five feet away, she stopped, pointing a trembling Milo at the demigod.

"Are-are you really Jaune?"

"… **When you discovered I had faked my transcripts, you offered to train me so that I wouldn't be an embarrassment to my family name."**

She cried. Milo fell from her fingers as she lunged at the demigod, holding him in what would, for another, been a suffocating grip but for him was little more than a gentle hold.

"IDIOT!" she sobbed, her fists pounding at his chest, uncaring of the fact it felt like hitting a wall, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, GOING THERE ALONE?! I thought I lost you…" she sniffed, her legs buckling under her weight, Asura catching her and gently lowering her to the ground as he crouched.

" **I didn't want to lose you, Pyrrha. I knew that if** _ **I**_ **didn't push you in that locker,** _ **you**_ **'d push** _ **me**_ **in there, and I couldn't…I honestly thought that it was better that if one of us had to die, it would be me rather than you. At least you were worth something in a fight, and hopefully you'd be able to help with the Grimm invasion…I'm sorry."**

Asura might have been a hothead, happy to resolve any conflict with his fists rather than with words, he _had_ been married and a father, and his time with Durga had allowed him to learn how to speak to women, especially those like Pyrrha. Durga had had some times when she had cried in much the same way, usually about how often he risked his life, so he did know how to defuse the situation. However, that opened another can of worms. As Jaune, he _had_ begun falling in love with the redhead, and even as Asura, his feelings for her were romantic, of that there was no doubt. However, he did have to accept that his wife and daughter were long dead, something easier said than done. But as the redhead sobbed in his chest, he decided that this was something he could ponder on later.

It took Pyrrha a few minutes to compose herself, during which Asura had not let go of her, his six arms holding her in a gentle embrace.

" **Pyrrha?"** eventually asked Asura, " **I want to look for the others of teams JNPR and RWBY, do you think you can stand?"**

"Oh…Yes, of course!" smiled the teen, giving him a watery smile as she slowly stood up, "Sorry if I made a mess…"

He waved dismissively.

" **My daughter did far worse in her time, don't worry. Now then, let's go."**

As the pair walked off, Pyrrha muttered:

"His daughter?"

 **-Break-**

With Cinder dead, the Grimm Dragon exterminated, and the presence of Asura and Ruby to help speed up the cleanup, it took only a few hours to get Vale semi-clear of Grimm again, the remnants of the horde being chased by the Huntsmen present. As it was, most of the population was back at the stadium, with the students on the stage, crowded around Asura and Rwby, who were looking at Yang in concern.

"She what?" whispered Ruby, looking disbelieving.

"I said, I don't know where Blake is, alright? She dropped me off here, said she was going to get a drink, and she just left!" growled the blonde, her eyes turning red briefly in anger, before she deflated, her good hand coming to rub her stump.

Asura might have been better at fighting alone, it didn't mean he couldn't spot someone suffering from PTSD, though in his opinion what happened to the blonde was a good thing. It was better she lost a limb now, than her life and those of her teammates down on the line due to her temper. At least now it would teach her that she wasn't invincible, that her Semblance could shield her from _everything_. The fact that as God of Mantra he could simply regrow her arm also cemented his opinion on the course to take.

" **Ruby,"** he started, " **Go and find Blake, she can't be too far, and with how you are now you shouldn't have too much trouble finding her."**

It was true. While she was far from her full potential yet, Ruby was now leagues above even the most powerful Huntsman, and possessed senses even beyond Faunus', which should help her tremendously to find Blake, especially since her speed Semblance would allow her to cover a lot of ground in a minimum of time with her new stamina.

"Okay!" chirped the redhead, disappearing so fast she left an afterimage. Though Asura could tell it was fake cheer, and that she was really worried for her teammate.

Turning back to Yang, he could see her staring at him appreciatively, even if he could see just how shaken she was from her recent experiences. The blonde had always been very confident in herself, be it her looks or skills as a fighter. To be beaten so soundly and lose a limb would obviously shatter such confidence completely, and she was likely doing everything she could to not break down in public.

" **Yang, you saw what I did for Ruby. I can do the same for you, and give you back your arm. As I told her though, there is a price to pay. Do you want me to do this, or not? And before you answer, yes, I can restore your arm without infusing you with Mantra."**

He planned on recreating the Eight Generals with teams RWBY and JNPR, and given how each of them were, he had full confidence that they wouldn't eventually fall to corruption like their predecessors. With his strength, he could easily help mankind expand, but he couldn't be everywhere at once. With eight people, there was already a lot more possibilities to help mankind expand beyond the four kingdoms.

"R-really? I can get back my arm?" asked the blonde, and with a nod, he willed his Mantra to recreate her arm for her. A small cloud of golden particles appeared over her stump, quickly forming the shape of an arm, until the limb was back, as good as new, and leaving Yang, as well as their audience, gaping.

With almost childlike wonder, the Y of team RWBY flexed her arm, testing it, and whispering "It's just like the old one…". Eventually, when she had confirmed that _yes_ , her arm was back, she looked back at Asura, her eyes watering, before she took him in a bear hug, whispering thanks all the while. While a bit surprised to see her acting so emotional, though he could understand it, he hugged her back, before blinking and looking down towards the blonde.

" **Yang…Are you feeling me up?"**

Indeed, the blonde's hands had gotten adventurous, tracing the patters of his muscles and the lines decorating his body, and one of her hands was moving dangerously towards an area that he considered off limits to everyone but his wife.

"Yang! Of all the shameless…!" scowled Weiss, blushing beet red.

"What?" grinned the blonde, "You can't tell me you don't want to feel those abs yourself, Weiss-cream, 'cause I've seen you check him out, don't deny it."

"YANG!" cried the white-haired teen, looking embarrassed.

"Besides, with that many hands, P-money can share a bit, don't ya?" grinned the brawler, eyeing a beet red redhead as she spluttered.

" **Nobody is going to "share" me, Yang. I will not forget my wife by starting a relationship with any of you, and that is** _ **final**_ **,"** said Asura, fixing a stern glare towards the blonde.

As Jaune he may have been clueless, but as Asura, he could quite certainly pick up the signs of a woman interested in him, and it confused him a bit to see that out of all his friends, Pyrrha, Yang, Blake, and even _Ruby_ , though in the latter's case he believed it was just a teenage crush, were interested in him. In his previous life, there hadn't been that many women interested in him given his violent nature, and only Durga had accepted him for who he was, someone who for anyone else would only have been a near mindless berserker. But even then, he would not forget his wife, not by dating his friends, no matter how beautiful they were or how nice they had been to him when he had been little more than an underachiever.

His words seemed to bring Yang up short, as she stared at him with wide eyes.

""Wife"? You're _married_?!"

" _ **Was.**_ **My wife Durga blessed me with a daughter, and with her last words asked me to look after her, which I did, even though I failed. I will not dishonor her memory by starting a relationship with someone else!"**

" _Oh father…"_

"Who said that?" blinked Nora, looking around.

" _I believe it would be me, Miss Valkyrie,"_ came the same voice, this time from behind the energetic pancake-lover, making her shriek in surprise as she jumped back, her rocket launcher trained on the figure who had just spoken.

The Beacon's students stared at the near-translucent newcomer, a girl looking even younger than Ruby, dressed in ornamental robes that reminded those who knew some history of the ceremonial robes of old Remnant cultures. While barely a teenager, it was easy to see that when she grew up (if apparitions could grow up), she would be a beautiful woman, and the gentle yet sad smile she sported showed her gentle nature better than a hundred words could have.

" **Mithra?"** whispered Asura, his heart growing cold at the sight of his daughter, looking remarkably similar than she did the last time he had seen her, " **How…?"**

" _Chakravartin's last gift…He wanted you to be able to live on with no regrets…"_ smiled Mithra, while the demigod could only lower his head in shame.

He had many regrets, not being able to save Ahria aside, his greatest regret was to have been unable to save his wife or even fulfill his promise of looking after Mithra, forcing her to spend over twelve millennia in servitude to the Seven Deities, his traitorous ex-comrades. This was something he would take to his grave, and he refused to forget.

" _Listen to her, dear…"_ whispered another voice, as another apparition made itself known next to Mithra, golden particles coalescing into a taller, adult-looking version of the younger girl, with a gentle smile and sorrowful eyes staring at the demigod with sadness.

" **Durga…"**

The Beacon students could only stare at the apparitions, understanding that they were Asura's family, and curiously observing the two ghosts, or whatever name the transparent beings could be called. Those among them who were interested in Asura though, carefully noted that the demigod had good taste in women, though his wife seemed just as gentle as he was violent. Obviously the couple had needed to equilibrate things, as none could picture a woman being even remotely as violent as the giant.

" _I know you feel it was your fault that I was killed, dear, but there was nothing you could have done to stop it…And you did your best to save Mithra, I know of no one else who would have returned from the depths of Naraka twice to do what you did. You even rejected a world with you as its God…"_

Durga stepped forwards, a gentle hand coming to cup her husband's cheek lovingly.

" _I am proud to have been your wife, Asura, never doubt that. But you now have a new chance at life, and I do not want you to punish yourself, to sacrifice your happiness out of the belief that you are forgetting me…You_ _ **deserve**_ _better…"_

As the former Divine General opened his mouth to protest, he was silenced by a ghostly digit gently put on his lips. For all his power and wrath, his wife had always been able to get her point across to him, one of the reasons why their marriage had held as long as it had. Most other women would have soon wanted nothing more to do with him, but Durga was patient to a fault, and was not afraid to speak her mind, a quality he had deeply appreciated.

" _Do not protest, husband. It has been a very long time since I have died, and you need someone to protect, not to mention that you cannot simply isolate yourself when these lovely young ladies, as well as the one you already gifted Mantra to, have feelings for you."_

He blinked. While he _could_ see that _some_ of his female friends had feelings for him, he wasn't quite sure that _all_ of them had. For one, he was pretty sure that Nora was only interested in Ren despite her claims that they weren't "together-together", and while he believed Durga hadn't included the energetic girl, that still left a lot of young women he couldn't see interested in him. Weiss had made her dislike of his former self _very_ clear, so she couldn't be interested, and Blake wasn't someone he believed would be interested, since she already had Sun.

His confusion must have been obvious, as Durga's ghost sighed, while Mithra's giggled.

"Sorry to be late everyone, but Blake didn't want to come, so I had to-whoa, are you ghosts? Oh Oum, that's so amazing! Not _scary_ amazing, but like incredible amazing and how is to be a ghost and who are you and-"

Asura blinked as Ruby appeared in a flash, rose petals floating to the ground in her wake, dropping a thoroughly tied up Blake as she gushed over the apparitions with wide eyes, the two ghosts looking amused at her childlike wonder. Meanwhile, Blake squirmed around, muffled protests escaping from her mouth that had been gagged with what appeared to be tape. Either Ruby had some hidden on her, or she had made a stop during her trip to get it, as well as the rope tied around the Faunus with more knots than he could count.

The Faunus's eyes widened as he walked over to her, her body trying to squirm away as she watched his approaching form with wide eyes.

"MmmFffffmmfffhhh! Mgfhhcccccllrrrr!"

With a sigh, he ripped off the tape covering the black-haired girl's mouth, earning himself a shout of pain before twin indignant amber eyes zeroed on him.

"You could have been gentler!" snapped the girl, before her eyes widened and she shut up.

Asura may not have been the greatest at reading people, but even he could see the naked fear in Blake's eyes, and it hurt him a bit. Sure, he didn't know her all that well since she had never been that close to Jaune, but he felt she should have known him better than to assume her would hurt her.

" **Blake, I'm not going to hurt you."**

It seemed to calm her down somewhat, as she gulped, before asking with a meek voice:

"O-Okay, uhm, so could you, _please_ , free me?"

Deciding to tease her a bit, something that he could now do much better thanks to his assurance as Asura, he gave her a playful grin, though he guessed that on his face that should be enough to send most people quivering in terror.

" **What assurance do I have that you won't run away again if I do that?"**

"You don't understand!" snapped Blake, looking impatient, "Just cut these things and let me go, please."

He sighed.

" **Blake, you can't just run off to fight the White Fang by yourself. Even if you feel it's your responsibility, which is** _ **not**_ **the case by the way, you are only one person, and you'll either get killed or won't amount to anything in the grand scheme of things."**

"HOW DARE YOU!" snapped the Faunus, drawing more than a few stares from those who had been talking to Durga and Mithra, "It's my responsibility, because obviously the people in charge aren't going to do anything, again! If they had listened to me, all this could have been stopped! And I know Adam, he won't stop, even if he was betrayed this time!"

" **You know you can ask for help, Blake."**

"No, I refuse. I refuse to put my friends in danger. It's something I have to do myself," she whispered, "Yang tried to help me, and she lost her arm. It's better if they stay away from me. I bring only bad luck…OW!"

For once, it hadn't been Asura who had acted, but Yang, the blonde narrowing her eyes and clonking her partner on the head with an oddly serious look on her face.

"Seriously, Blake? This is exactly _why_ I went after you, you thought you could deal with your old boyfriend by yourself, and if I hadn't been there, he'd have killed you. We're _partners_ , Blakey," growled the blonde, jabbing her finger in her partner's forehead, the Faunus staring at her with wide eyes, seeing that she had her two arms again, "And if you keep running off by yourself, you'll get _killed,_ and I won't _let_ you get killed because you have some kind of stupid Hero-complex."

"But-"

"Don't you think we want to help you, Blake? We're a team, we fight together. Besides, someone has to show Weiss-cream that _some_ Faunus aren't that bad. Or do you think running off to fight Mister Bad Guy by yourself is more important than what you're doing with us?" asked Yang, a crooked grin on her face, "And besides, I think that with the new Vomit Boy around, Adam won't be trying anything anytime soon."

" **For the record, I resent that nickname."**

"But-"

"Oh for the love of Oum!" groaned Weiss, stomping towards the still restrained Faunus, squatting in front of her and glaring into the teen's amber eyes, "This is _exactly_ the kind of attitude that got us all into trouble! _Each time_ you run off, we have to save you, but do you learn? No, you don't! First we had to fight Roman and the White Fang when you thought I hated _you_ and ran off to sulk, then you just _had_ to run off to face Adam Taurus, who is considered to be a threat on par with a veteran Huntsman, by yourself! And you're lucky Yang was there, if what I heard was right, you could have gotten _killed_ , you dunce!"

Whatever reply Blake could have come up with was abruptly silenced when the white-haired girl, in a _very_ surprising moment, _hugged_ the black-haired Faunus, making her eyes widen to comical proportions, for very good reasons. Weiss Schnee did _not_ do hugs. Ever. Even less so to a Faunus, someone that until recently she would have believed to be little more than an animal. And yet, she could feel some moisture on her shirt, which hadn't been there before.

 _She's crying?_

"Don't _ever_ worry me like that again, do you hear me, you dunce? Do you think I have enough friends I can lose one of them?"

Amber eyes widened once more in shock. So wrapped up in her personal quest to take down Adam that she had forgotten that Weiss, while being quite cold, considered her a friend, and that team RWBY was the closest thing she, like Blake, had to an actual family given her relationship with her father.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, closing her eyes in shame.

" _You have good friends, husband,"_ smiled Durga, looking at the embracing pair with motherly fondness, before pecking him on the lips, " _Take care, and try to not ignore these girls out of the belief they are not interested in you, they all are, to some degree. Well, except Nora, but you already knew that."_

With those last words, she disappeared in golden motes of light, leaving only Mithra, who raised her arms to give her father a hug that he was happy to return.

" _Bye Father, I love you."_

Taking a step back, she gave a small grin as she looked at the assembled teenagers around her father, speaking loudly enough to be heard by all of them.

" _And make me plenty of little sisters and brothers, alright?"_

 **-Break-**

It was much later that day that team RWBY, team JNPR, team CVFY, Glynda Goodwitch, General Ironwood and Ozpin met in the latter's office, or at least what was left of it. Cinder's death combined with the demise of the Grimm Dragon had allowed for medical teams to help a lot of people, and both Asura and Pyrrha had gone to see if they could find the headmaster. While the man had been critically injured and dangerously low on aura, something that would have seen him dead in only a few more hours had they not found him, it was nothing the God of Mantra couldn't fix.

"Fascinating, truly," remarked the headmaster, his signature coffee mug in his hand as he looked at Asura and the new Ruby, who was fidgeting nervously given everyone's scrutiny. Yang had already remarked that her sister's breasts were even bigger than her own, pouting childishly, while the redhead had complained that her new assets shot her balance to Hell.

"This is dangerous, Ozpin. Given how easily he dealt with Cinder, he's a threat to the Kingdom's safety," growled Ironworrd, looking at Asura with narrowed eyes.

Once upon a time, that would have been enough to have Jaune gulping nervously and doing everything in his power to make himself unnoticeable. Of course, now it was quite different, as the God stared back at the General with blazing white eyes.

" **I did your work, Ironwood. While I don't doubt that the Council will be trying to get me under their control, I recommend you remember that I can be a** _ **very**_ **dangerous enemy, and I think that in the current circumstances, you can't** _ **afford**_ **to have more enemies."**

"What was that, boy? Remember that-"

" **That you are partially responsible for the mess in Vale? Yes, but you seem to have forgotten it was your own army that caused the most damage, aside from the Grimm. If you hadn't been so overconfident in your security, maybe that a lot of people would still be alive today. But strangely, I am not the one whining like a child. I will do what** _ **I**_ **think is right, not what a Council of politicians think is right."**

"You little-"

"James, enough," scowled Ozpin, glaring at the General, "Mister Arc-can I still call you that?"

" **For the sake of simplicity, yes."**

"Thank you. Mister Arc has proven an invaluable help already, I have complete faith in his loyalty, provided that the Council is not unreasonable."

"Unreasonable?! He killed the _Grimm Dragon_ by himself! He _has_ to be monitored!" growled Ironwood.

"Hey, tin man, leave Jaune alone!" scowled Yang, shaking her fist, "He's as nice a guy that you'll ever get, just because he's stronger than you isn't a reason to be a bastard!"

"Miss Xia-Long, quiet!" scowled Glynda, "This is not as simple as you seem to believe it is."

"Really? 'Cause what I see is basically that Jau-err, Asura, is strong enough to wipe out plenty of Grimm by himself, and that General Asshole here is being a bastard about it!"

"While I do not quite agree with the wording, or how simply she is putting the matter-"

"Hey!"

"-I believe that Yang is right, Professor. Asura has proven that he could easily deal with an Elder Grimm by himself, that he is, and I cannot believe I am saying this, in every sense of the term, a _God_. And the General is suggesting to take actions that will likely make that God angry, and in front of him no less," pointed out Weiss. "This is far from a good idea."

"And what would _you_ suggest, Miss Schnee?" asked Opzin, looking amused.

"Let him continue his life as a member of team JNPR and as Jaune Arc. Maybe ask him for help when it's needed, but certainly not trying to force him into a situation where he would likely lash out."

" **I like that solution better, too,"** grinned Asura, before looking at the General with a look of contempt on his face. " **You remind me of someone I once knew, so be careful, Ironwood, otherwise you will end like him. Just because you are strong doesn't mean you are right, and doesn't mean you can control everyone as you see fit. Try and I will crush you like Deus was crushed."**

With a snarl, the General went to raise his weapon, only to have Asura appear in front of him and give him a "light" punch in the gut, that saw him slump to the ground, unconscious.

" **He reminds me far too much of Deus…"** grumbled Asura, before turning back to look at Ozpin and Glynda. " **Are we done?"**

"Almost," smiled the Headmaster," I have one last question: do you intend to make the same offer you made to Miss Rose to someone else?"

" **Only to the members of team RWBY and JNPR, since I know I can trust them. And I believe that having another version of the Eight Guardian Generals look over Remnant would be good. No offense, Coco, but I don't think that giving Mantra to anyone else would be a good idea for the moment."**

"Eh, it's fine. Besides, the clothes look good but they aren't my style," waved the leader of team CVFY, "And Velvet kinda has something to show ya."

The bunny-eared Faunus meeped under the stares of everyone present, before opening her palm and creating a small ball of fire in it.

"Well then, it seems we have our new Fall Maiden," smiled Ozpin, after a moment of silence.

 **-Break-**

 **Epilogue**

Needless to say, the combined might of seven demigods and a God saw the number of Grimm around Remnant reduced to almost zero before a single decade had gone by, team RWBY and JNPR becoming known worldwide thanks to their actions and power. Quite a few people complained that they were the only ones allowed access to Mantra, and that the mystical energy should have been shared among all of mankind, of course. These people were politely told that if they believed they could take on a _God_ to force him to abide by their wishes, then they were welcome to do so, but to do it somewhere outside of the Four Kingdoms. A single tentative to have Asura bend the knee saw the entire regiment of the Atlas Military who attempted it to be reduced to their base components, and the Atlas government being visited by a pissed of God of Mantra. Nobody knew what had been said that day, but there were no more tries to have Asura share Mantra by force afterwards.

Asura himself had ended up in a situation that had baffled him, as the young women interested in him, from both team RWBY and team JNPR, had somehow agreed to share him. Pyrrha, Ruby, Yang, and, more surprisingly, Blake and even _Weiss_ (though for the latter it was after a disastrous break-up with Neptune, _and_ getting drunk and locked up with Asura in a hotel room) were now his wives, as he had point blank refused to consider the idea of _not_ legitimizing their relationships. They were now the only _official_ (as apparently the situation was quite more common than many believed, only far less publicized) polygamous couple on Remnant.

Jaune's family had had a field day with that. Once they had gotten over the fact that Jaune, whom they had seen as the least talented combat-wise of their family was actually now a _God_ who could trounce their _entire_ family at once (and easily too, that was the difference between Mantra and Aura), they had teased him mercilessly about having a harem. Of course, they couldn't tease either Asura or the young women themselves too much, as they were all demigoddesses or a God, which made the idea of pissing them off quite stupid.

Amusingly enough, despite the clear distaste Atlas had shown for both his relationships and himself, Asura had actually dealt with the problem of the Grimm a little more than twenty years later when, with information from Ozpin, he had tracked down Salem, the source of all Grimm and the original Winter Maiden, and promptly reduced her to atoms along with her associates.

Needless to say, during the millennia under Asura's vigil, there were no conflicts on Remnant.

One did not piss off a God who could level _mountains_ with a punch after all. Least of all when that God was accompanied by seven demigods and demigoddesses who were all too happy to help him deal with those who thought they could threaten the peace.

* * *

 **Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome, flames will be ignored or mocked.**


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